Construction trends we’ll see in 2020

The construction industry has seen huge changes in 2019, both good and bad. As an ever-evolving industry, we thought it would only be right that we share with you our predictions for 2020. So, we’re consulting the crystal ball, channelling our inner-Nostradamus and delivering the trends that we think you’ll see in construction during 2020.

Green Tech

At QTDS, we pride ourselves on being ahead of the curve when it comes to eco-friendly tech. In 2020, we’re predicting a mass turn towards green tech across the industry. From resource-efficiency to focusing on longevity and sustainable, cleaning up construction will be on the top of the list for all firms.

Here’s a statement from Designing Buildings: “According to the Technology Strategy Board, the construction, operation and maintenance of the built environment accounts for 45% of total UK carbon emissions (27% from domestic buildings and 18% from non-domestic buildings)”. We’ve got a long way to go before our industry is fully sustainable – but QDTS is proud to be doing what we can to support this change.

Drones and Robotics

At the risk of sounding ultra-futurist – drones, which are infiltrating most industries, will become more common on-site. A useful innovation in health and safety and surveying, we’re predicting 2020 to be the year that drones start to have a genuine impact on the way we work.

The Terminator came back in time from 2029 – so we’re not a million miles from that either. However, drones in this capacity are less frightening and more helpful, making everyone in construction’s lives easier. The prevalence of drones is down to lower costs for a higher quality of technology.

Prefabricated Homes

Less futuristic than robots but still leaning towards science-fiction – modular or prefab homes are coming. The need for new housing means that it’s easier and more affordable to create homes in a factory, transport them to the site and put them together. A lot more goes into modular tech – a mastery of architecture and expert software for example – but the point is that this is the future of building more homes quickly.

Already gaining traction in the US, modular homes will start to take a foothold in the UK in 2020. It fits in with the other themes – a modular, prefabricated home is a sustainable home.

Building Information Modelling

Representing building plans through software is nothing new – but we can expect to see huge advances and a lot more prevalence in 2020. A mainstay of architects and engineers, BIM software helps creators to visualise their projects before they’re built. The advances in tech will make things easier and more reliable than ever before – reducing the number of wasted resources and, again, promoting levels of sustainability.

There’s a common theme running through our predictions for 2020. Realistically, you could look at this list as a prediction for the industry in the next decade – a sector building, quite literally, towards a more sustainable, greener, smarter future.